The 2010 CIF State Basketball Championships not only have a new venue at Robobank Arena in Bakersfield, but nine new boys teams from 2009.
Only defending Division I champion Westchester (Los Angeles) returns to the state finals, though all but one team has made at least one appearance since the modern-day championships began in 1981.
Lutheran (La Verne), the Division V South Region champ, has never played in a state title game, but teams like Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) and Price (Los Angeles), with seven appearance each, along with three-time champion Branson (Ross) are quite familiar with the state’s ultimate game.
With three wins last season, the South holds an 85-45 overall lead in games played since 1981, with big leads in Division I (22-7), II (21-7) and IV (16-6). The South also leads in Division III (14-13) and the North holds a 12-10 edge in Division V.
DIVISION I – Saturday, 8 p.m.
Newark Memorial (30-4) vs. Westchester (Los Angeles) (31-3).
Westchester's Dwayne Polee is always hanging around.
Photo by Heston Quan
Westchester 15, Newark Memorial 3, 15 of 16.
STATE RECORD: Westchester 5-0, Newark Memorial 0-1.
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Westchester — G Jordin Mayes, F Dwayne Polee, G Kareem Jamar; Newark Memorial — F Khion Sankey, F Kendal Andrews, G Jisuan Randle.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Westchester 72.0 (49.2); Newark Memorial 59.0 (44.9).
Great matchup of one of the state’s most high-powered offenses against one of state’s stingiest defenses
Defending state champion Westchester rolled into Bakersfield following a scintillating 71-63 victory over Southern Region top seed Mater Dei-Santa Ana 71-63 behind 21 points by 6-foot-2 Arizona-bound sharpshooter Mayes, 20 from 6-6 high-flying Polee and 14 by rugged 6-9 post Reggie Murphy.
Throw in Montana-bound and versatile 6-4 swingman Jamar and the Comets can definitely fill the basket, having scored at least 75 14 times this season compared to three times for Newark Memorial.
What sets Westchester apart is at the defensive end, where coach Ed Azzam really demands excellence and effort. His Comets have shown they can play any style, proven in last year’s state title game, a 49-31 lockdown win over McClymonds-Oakland, and other big wins this season over national powers St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 55-51, and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of the Wilson, Va.), 52-47, not to mention California standouts like Long Beach Poly (65-53), Colony (77-42) and L.A. City rival Fairfax (80-44 and 72-39).
The Comets also shut down previous state-title opponent Serra (San Mateo) in 2005 with a 66-45 win, while speeding things up in their two other championship wins over the Leon Powe-led Oakland Tech Bulldogs, 80-75 and 75-63.
Westchester, which played one of the nation’s toughest schedules, is undefeated against California teams (25-0), having lost to just Georgia state champ Milton (Alpharetta), 57-54, Rice (New York), 62-44, and Montverde Academy (Fla.), 62-47.
Khion Sankey is heart and soul of Newark Memorial.
Photo by Dennis Lee
Newark Memorial has definitely played one of Northern California’s toughest schedules and really showed its toughness by placing second at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, defeating Division IV South Region champion Price (43-42) and Los Angeles City powers Taft (48-41) and Fairfax (50-34).
The Cougars lost in the title game to national power St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), 66-43, in the finals.
Newark uses a fearless, tenacious defense and long offensive sets to wear on opponents, though lately has implemented a relentless fullcourt press, which it showed in a 58-49 North Region finals win over De La Salle and 75-61 semifinal triumph over Sheldon. The Cougars forced a combined 57 turnovers in those two games.
Without a lot of size or long-range shooters, the Cougars are led by four-year letterman Khion Sankey, who had 19 in the region finals, and Kendall Andrews, a 6-4 junior who made the game-winning basket at the buzzer for Salesian (Richmond) last year in the state Division IV finals.
Sankey and Andrews get most of their points off offensive sets and putbacks. The rest of the offense is mustered by scrappy senior Randle, 6-foot sophomore Casey Norris, the team’s best shooter, and Shykil Bird, a 6-foot senior guard. The Cougars lost the 2000 Division II championship game to Dominguez, 53-41.
DIVISION II – Friday, 8 p.m.
St. Francis (Mountain View) (30-3) vs. Lincoln (San Diego) (28-2)
WIN STREAKS: St. Francis 3, 22 of 23; Lincoln 23.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): St. Francis 1-2, Lincoln 0-1.
TERRIFIC TRIOS: St. Francis – G Tyler Johnson, G Spencer Britschgi, C Patrick Crowley. Lincoln — G Norman Powell, F Victor Dean, C Nathan Maxey.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): St. Francis 61.8 (47.5), Lincoln 71.7 (54.5).
Both teams got here in extremely competitive manners, St. Francis with a buzzer-beater by Crowley in a 48-47 win over Woodcreek and Lincoln with a 60-52 victory over Compton.
Lincoln's Norman Powell can get to the rim.
Photo by Jann Hendry
The Hornets used a 27-10 run in the third quarter to erase a 28-22 deficit to win their second regional title, and first since 1988 when they lost in the state Division III finals to Jefferson (Daly City) 77-71. This year’s Lincoln squad has it all, led by Powell, a 6-3 junior who averages a team-high 19.3 points and 2.9 steals per game. Dean, a 6-6 senior, can also dominate and ranks second on the team in scoring (14.3) and first in rebounds (8.0).
Maxey is a lanky but active 6-10 senior who doesn’t score much (6.7), but changes the game on the defensive end with 4.4 blocks per game. As good as that trio is, the most intriguing player is probably 6-4, 190-pound point guard Tyree Robinson, who averages 9.7 points but leads the teams in assists. Robinson is just a freshman.
Lincoln’s only losses came early against Los Angeles powers Crenshaw (79-74) on Dec. 22 and Centennial (Compton) (87-68) on Dec. 30. The Hornets haven’t lost this calendar year. St. Francis is making its first state appearance since 2002 and first under second-year coach Mike Motil, who has a terrific job with an undersized, unimposing bunch. The Lancers get after it with waves of players and substitutions and terrific perimeter shooting.
They are led by the Fresno State-bound Johnson, a 6-2 guard who has terrific leaping ability and can shoot the 3-pointer or drive to the hoop. Britschgi, a 5-11 senior guard, is fearless to the basket and terrific from the perimeter. Crowley does all the dirty work down low, but his putback and 5-footer at the buzzer over 6-10 Mike Kurtz swished cleanly through the nets against Woodcreek.
“That’s one you dream about,” Crowley said afterward.
It’s been a dream season for the Lancers, who became the first team out of the extremely tough and long-standing West Catholic Athletic League to go 14-0 in the regular season and 17-0 counting the playoffs.
Their one setback all calendar year was a 56-50 defeat to WCAL rival Archbishop Mitty in the Central Coast Section finals, but they made up for it with three straight regional wins, all over Sac-Joaquin Section squads including defending NorCal champions Rocklin (75-72), a team that defeated St. Francis in last year’s NorCal finals.
DIVISION III – Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) (30-3) vs. Serra (Gardena) (33-2)
WIN STREAKS: Bishop O’Dowd 22, Serra 11.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Bishop O’Dowd 1-5, Serra 1-0.
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Bishop O’Dowd – F Brandon Ashley, C Jordan Barton, F Richard Longrus; Serra – G Vaughn Autry, G Keith Shamburger, F Craig Carter.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Bishop O’Dowd 65.1 (45.0), Serra 75.2 (55.6).
This should be a fun and frantic one. Both teams are loaded athletically and love to get up and down; however, O’Dowd, with a big and physical front line would like to slow things up.
O'Dowd's Anders Haas goes up and under.
Photo by David Steutel
The Dragons are led by the 6-8 Ashley, considered one of the top sophomores in the country not only because of his long 7-2 reach but because he’s extremely skilled. He had 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 57-50 North Region final win over Sacramento. While Ashley offers finesse, Barton offers brawn. Though he’s only 6-5, he’s O’Dowd’s leading rebounder and best interior defender. He had 16 rebounds and seven blocks against Sacramento. Longrus, a 6-6 sophomore, is a combination of those two.
In the backcourt, O’Dowd attacks by committee, starting with solid Anders Haas and J.T. Thomas, who both are strong 3-point shooters. Nick Capiti and Terrence King come off the bench and add immediate energy and athleticism. Speaking of, that’s what Serra thrives off of, as it showed in a 74-50 South Region final win over Compton. The Cavaliers were absolutely relentless on the offensive glass and outrebounded Compton 49-24 overall, led by a huge 12-point, 11-rebound game off the bench by Marqise Lee.
Serra is very tough to defend because of its fantastic balance, as it showed against Compton with Shamburger leading the way with 14 points, followed by 11 from Autry and 10 by Carter. Autry and Shamburger are huge 3-point threats, and everyone else crashes the boards. The Cavaliers also start Jordan Mitchell and George Farmer, a standout wide receiver for the school’s football team that captured the state Division III Bowl Game in December.
The team’s only two losses were to Taft (Woodland Hills) (71-64) and Long Beach Poly (58-54), a pair of Division I powers. O’Dowd’s losses are also to Division I squads Loyola (59-57) and Taft (53-46), plus a defeat to Division IV finalist Price (62-49), a team Serra defeated 78-75 in the Johnnie Cochran Basketball Classic.
Serra’s only other state appearance was in 1993 when it defeated Palma (Salinas) in the Division IV championship 67-44. O’Dowd won the very first Division I crown of the Modern Era in 1981 over Castlemont (Oakland) 70-69, but has since lost five straight, the last time in 2007, a 91-64 defeat to Aretesia.
DIVISION IV – Friday, 1:30 p.m.
Price's Allen Crabbe is a lethal scorer.
Photo by Heston Quan.
WIN STREAKS: St. Mary’s 7, Price 9.
STATE RECORD: St. Mary’s 1-2, Price 5-1.
TERRIFIC TRIOS: St. Mary’s — F Dominique Lee, F Demetrius Lee, G Justin Pollard. Price — F Allen Crabbe, C Richard Solomon, G Casey Trujeque.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): St. Mary’s 55.0 (46.1), Price 73.5 (55.2).
St. Mary’s has slayed one big dragon – the defending state champions. Twice even. Now they have an even more formidable foe.
Price, a five-time state champion at Division V, has upped its enrollment and increased its workload with one of the toughest schedules in the state, in any division.
The Knights feature two college-bound players, including high-scoring 6-6 swingman Crabbe, a Cal signee, who has unlimited shooting range and can get to the rim. He scored 25 points and added 10 rebounds in a 69-48 regional final win over Francis Parker.
Utah-bound Dominique Lee does it all for St. Mary's.
Photo by Dennis Stiff
Richard Solomon, who helped Windward to a Division V state title last year, is a lanky 6-9 post who is also headed to Cal. That outside-inside combination has helped the Knights knock off much larger opponents, like O’Dowd (62-49), defending state Division II champ Eisenhower (76-74) and L.A. City power Crenshaw (90-86).
St. Mary’s struggled much of the season offensively, but has found its rhythm late behind the Lee twins, Pollard’s all-around play and a stifling defense. Coach Manny Nodar said this is probably his best defensive team and they’ve had to be in order to stay with league rival Salesian, which beat the Panthers three times in the regular season. But when it counted most, St. Mary’s knocked off the defending champions 52-49 for the North Coast Section title and last week, 54-50 in overtime for the North Region crown.
Pollard led the way with 19 points, but it was 15 points, including a pair of key 3-pointers, by Glenn Baral that keyed the win. Dominique Lee, a high-flying 6-4 forward, is headed to Utah, but he represents most of the Panthers’ inside presence. That may be trouble against the long and active Solomon.
His twin Demetrius Lee is also quite active inside. If the Panthers can get enough quick jumpers down low they may be able bother Solomon and company.
DIVISION V – Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
Branson (Ross) (25-6) vs. Lutheran (La Verne) (26-8)
WIN STREAKS: Branson 7, Lutheran 11.
STATE APPEARANCES (RECORD): Branson 3-1, Lutheran 0-0.
TERRIFIC TRIOS: Branson — G Tyler Gaffaney, F Adam Boone, G Gabe Moynihan. Lutheran — F Grant Jerrett, G C.J. Cooper, G Bruce English.
POINTS PER GAME (ALLOWED): Branson 49.3 (37.7), Lutheran 74.9 (51.7).
Branson has become a fixture in this game, having won five of the last six Northern California championships but first under Bob Donlan, who replaced legendary coach Jonas Honick two season ago following the Bulls’ third straight state crown.
Lutheran may be making its first state appearance, but the Trojans are certainly battle tested, having knocked off defending state champion Windward 52-50 in the South Region championship behind 17 points from English, a 6-1 junior.
Cooper, a 6-foot junior point guard, added 13 points and seven assists in the game and hit six straight free throws down the stretch to help pull out the hotly contested game. The team’s top scorer is Jerrett, a 6-8 sophomore, who averages 18.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, while Cooper comes in at 15.5 points and 6.1 assists per contest.
Tyler Gaffaney does it all for Branson.
Photo by Dennis Stiff
The Trojans played a rigorous nonleague season against larger-school opponents, including wins over Clovis East (79-76), Compton (71-65) and Dorsey (65-64). They also had close defeats against Las Vegas state champion Bishop Gorman (74-66) and Southern California stalwarts Foothills Christian (83-80), Leuzinger (58-53) and Ocean View (81-69).
Branson knows all about playing up because it plays in the Marin County Athletic League, which is made up mainly of Division II and III squads. The Bulls struggled while Gaffaney, a 6-2 senior with all-around skills, was battling injuries. He leads the squad at 14.2 points per game and had 20 points and seven rebounds in the team’s 62-44 North Region finals win over University.
Boone, a 6-6 senior, is the team’s second-leading scorer at 10.7, while Moynihan, a 5-10 sophomore, John Konstin, a 6-foot junior, and Marco Viti, a 6-5 senior, combine for about 20 points per game. Viti came off the bench to score 20 against University, and Moynihan had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Defending is what Branson has always done best, and the Bulls will no doubt hope to keep the game in the 40s or lower. They won two of their state titles by scores of 37-29 and 40-33 – and that’s with a shot clock.
